Rwandan President Paul Kagame has said he plans to run for a fourth term in elections due to be held next year.
Gatekeepers News reports that Kagame told Jeune Afrique, a French-language news magazine, in an interview published online on Tuesday.
The 65-year-old, who has ruled over the country with an iron fist for decades, said, “Yes, I am indeed a candidate.”
Kagame was quoted as saying, “I am pleased with the confidence that Rwandans have placed in me. I will always serve them, as long as I can.”
In March, the Rwandan government decided to synchronise the dates for its parliamentary and presidential elections, which are due to be held in August next year.
The Rwanda President had previously not made his intentions clear but has presided over controversial constitutional amendments that allowed him to serve a third term.
Since the end of the 1994 genocide, Kagame has been regarded as the country’s de facto leader.
The former rebel chief won a third term in 2017, taking home nearly 99 per cent of the votes.
